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James move could spark uneasy trend
Source: Agencies |
July 25, 2010, Sunday
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THE National Basketball Association could be in danger of losing its competitive balance if outstanding players such as LeBron James continue to join forces to form super teams, according to some leading experts in sports management.
James may have started a disturbing trend when he plotted with former Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh this month to sign as free agents with the Miami Heat, New York University professor Robert Boland said.
"You have to be careful about furthering the gap between the haves and have-nots," he said on Friday.
"One of the big concerns is players don't want profit maximizers, they want market maximizers. It's a concern, because it means certain teams will not get free agents."
James, who left Cleveland, former Toronto player Bosh and Wade, who chose to return to Miami, all signed for less money in order to help the Heat stay under the league's salary cap.
"Probably one thing the league would want to do is pass rules that players shouldn't be colluding with one another or talking about leaving their team too early like Chris Paul is talking about now," Boland said about the New Orleans guard.
Paul, who has two years left on his contract, has given the Hornets a short list of teams he would like to be dealt to. One of them is the New York Knicks, who Denver's Carmelo Anthony has said he would like to join as a 2011 free agent.
"If Chris Paul is plotting to be in New York with Amar'e (Stoudemire, recently signed by the Knicks) and Carmelo in a year that's what we're afraid of," said Bill Sutton, professor at University of Central Florida.
Keeping players from hatching plans could be difficult. "It's hard to know how leagues could address this legally," said Rick Horrow, a sports lecturer at Harvard Law School.
Former NBA greats Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson both criticized James for leaving his Cleveland hometown.
Six-time NBA champion Jordan told reporters: "There's no way I would've ever called up Larry (Bird), called up Magic and said, 'Let's get together and play on one team'."
James may have started a disturbing trend when he plotted with former Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh this month to sign as free agents with the Miami Heat, New York University professor Robert Boland said.
"You have to be careful about furthering the gap between the haves and have-nots," he said on Friday.
"One of the big concerns is players don't want profit maximizers, they want market maximizers. It's a concern, because it means certain teams will not get free agents."
James, who left Cleveland, former Toronto player Bosh and Wade, who chose to return to Miami, all signed for less money in order to help the Heat stay under the league's salary cap.
"Probably one thing the league would want to do is pass rules that players shouldn't be colluding with one another or talking about leaving their team too early like Chris Paul is talking about now," Boland said about the New Orleans guard.
Paul, who has two years left on his contract, has given the Hornets a short list of teams he would like to be dealt to. One of them is the New York Knicks, who Denver's Carmelo Anthony has said he would like to join as a 2011 free agent.
"If Chris Paul is plotting to be in New York with Amar'e (Stoudemire, recently signed by the Knicks) and Carmelo in a year that's what we're afraid of," said Bill Sutton, professor at University of Central Florida.
Keeping players from hatching plans could be difficult. "It's hard to know how leagues could address this legally," said Rick Horrow, a sports lecturer at Harvard Law School.
Former NBA greats Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson both criticized James for leaving his Cleveland hometown.
Six-time NBA champion Jordan told reporters: "There's no way I would've ever called up Larry (Bird), called up Magic and said, 'Let's get together and play on one team'."
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